


so i open the window

by lowfuellight



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Roommates, Sibling Bonding, and they were roommates!, batfam, jason and bruce have issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-10 15:40:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15952394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowfuellight/pseuds/lowfuellight
Summary: jason offers to let the new batgirl crash with him, but not everyone approves.





	so i open the window

**Author's Note:**

> so basically, what if all the utrh business had happened before cass became batgirl! i just think they should be friends!  
> thanks sooo much to artemis/thegoodyouth for beta'ing!!!!
> 
>  
> 
> xx incest fans do NOT interact xx

Jason wasn’t expecting Nightwing to be at Oracle’s place when he got there, but then again, he probably should have been. The two were sat with mugs of coffee and blankets looking very  _ comfortable _ and  _ cozy _ and Jason wanted to leave as soon as he arrived. They were talking in low voices with equal looks of concern on their face, which reminded Jason why he was here.

He swung through the window and said, “What’s up, nerds?”

Dick jumped to his feet, registered who Jason was and fell back onto the sofa.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” he said, and that got under Jason’s skin. Jason was unpredictable, goddammit. Dick and Barbara’s lack of surprise to see him in the austere apartment did not bode well for his ego.

“Well, I’m here,” he said, taking off his helmet and tossing it on the floor. “So what are we thinking, gang? Did he do it?”

“Jason,” Barbara chided, and Jason shrugged before plopping down on the sofa beside Dick and taking his mug from him.

“We’re all thinking it.”

“We’re all thinking about who  _ could have _ done it.”

“And are we ruling out Bruce?” Jason pushed, enjoying the annoyance flaring in the couple’s eyes.

“Why are you here?” Barbara asked. Jason sipped on what he had thought was coffee. It was in fact hot chocolate, and for some reason, that pissed him off. 

“A guy can’t want some company?”

Dick gave him a Look. “You always want something.”

“Ouch,” Jason said, putting his hand over his heart. “Maybe I won’t say.” But Barbara rolled her eyes, and Jason decided to cut to the chase, suddenly eager to get out of there.  “I guess I came to say that she can stay with me.”

Dick blinked. 

“Pardon?”

“Batgirl,” Jason clarified, as if it were obvious.

Barbara let out a surprised little laugh.

“ _ Why _ ?”

“Well, Bruce Wayne is wanted for murder...”

“We know,” Dick said, still looking at him oddly. Jason huffed in frustration.

“Her batcave has been blown to bits last I heard and, no offence to you, Barbara, but you kind of smother her.”

“Excuse you?” Barbara gasped, eyes wide. “I do not smother her! I just treat her like a normal human being!”

“You treat her like a child,” Jason said matter-of-factly, and raised his eyebrows at Dick for back up.  Dick turned pale, which was enough for him, so he carried on, “And then Dickchard here is in Blüdhaven, but the girl likes Gotham just fine. Plus, moving her could mess her brain or whatever.”

“ _ Now _ who’s smothering?” Barbara snapped. “I’m sure she’d do just fine away from Gotham. In fact, it may even do her some good.”

Jason settled the mug down on the floor, attempting to shrug the whole thing off.

“Listen. Forget it. I was just trying to be helpful. She could take my sofa, is all I was saying.”

Barbara and Dick exchanged a look that Jason did not enjoy.

“And we appreciate that, Jason,” Barbara said, her voice softer now. Like she was talking to a child. Oh god she was doing it to him, now, too!

“Nah,” Jason said, ‘cause fuck if he was going to put up with that tonight, and jumped up from the sofa, Red Hood helmet in hand. He walked between the two of them over to the window he had entered through and said, “Peace,” sticking two fingers behind him on his way out.

 

Two weeks passed after his ‘meeting’ with Nightwing and Oracle before Jason saw Batgirl.

It was around four in the morning when he fell into his safehouse, his ribs aching like hell and a cut on his eyebrow that was bleeding into his eye. He was off his game, and that was the only reason why he didn’t see her sooner, standing by the window looking like the Grim Reaper herself. He pulled his helmet off, tossed it onto the sofa, turned on the living room light and pretty much had a heart attack.

“Holy-fucking-shit-how-did-you-get-in-here?” Jason yelled in one long breath. “Oh my  _ god _ ! I could have killed you!”

She seemed amused at this prospect. At least, as far as he could tell past her creepy mask. He pursed his lips. “So, you here visiting or...? Need anything Red Hood-y?”

She didn’t answer, but instead stepped towards the kitchen island, placing her gloved hands on the plastic surface with care.

Despite the heart attack, Jason had to admit he admired her ghoulish take on Batgirl. Barbara had been alright, but Cass was downright terrifying. Definitely following in Bruce’s footsteps.

“Could you take that thing off? It’s freaking me out.”

A moment’s pause, and then she did so. She left the thing on the island but didn’t turn to look at him. Her hair was longer than when he’d seen her last, which was probably a while ago. He moved towards the kitchen, because he was thirsty, and because he had to see if she was doing okay. Sure enough, under the mask she didn’t have the customary bruises and cuts the rest of them all shared. Jason supposed she’d have to get caught for that.

“You hungry?” Jason asked as she peered over his shoulder into the fridge. She caught his eye, looking guilty.

“Yes.”

“Okay. Why didn’t you say so?”

He pulled a couple of boxes of takeouts left over from lunch time and dropped them onto the table top. Without needing invitation, Cass sat up on one of the stools and began digging into the chicken fried noodles in a less than dignified manner. Jason drank from a cold water bottle and leaned on the opposite side of the island, and they just watched each other in silence for a good few minutes. 

“You’re bleeding,” she said finally around a mouthful of noodles.

“Yup,” Jason said, although the bleeding had stopped. Now the whole side of his face just felt sticky. “Job hazard.”

“Did your helmet… not stop the hit?”

“No, it did not.”

“Hm.”

“So, how’d you find me?”

She raised her eyebrows.

“Computer.”

Jason clenched his jaw. He’d suspected that Bruce may have knowledge of the location of one, if not a few of his safehouses, but the confirmation stung. The guy could have visited. Not that Jason would be happy about that. Just…

“And why…?” Jason began, unsure of how to ask what she was doing here, exactly. Cass swallowed a mouthful of noodles and wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

“Nightwing said,” she said.

Jason leaned back, tapping his fingers on the counter. “Oh, he did, did he?”

He wondered how that conversation could have possibly gone. What exactly Nightwing had said.  _ Hey, if you wanna crash at Jason’s, he’s cool with it? _

“Can I have… water?” Cass asked.

“Sure. The tap water around here will kill you,” he explained as he tossed her a bottle from his fridge. Cassandra caught it, then began to walk around the apartment as she drank from it, seemingly curious.

“Uh, yeah,” Jason said, following her steps. “That’s the bathroom, yeah. If you…” she climbed into the bathtub and observed the shower head. “It works and stuff,” Jason assured her, then followed her back out into the living room. “That’s my bedroom, and, like, if you wanted to crash here, or whatever, this sofa can be a bed. It pulls out, like this,” he said, demonstrating. She watched him quietly, eyes scanning over the plaid-patterned sofa bed. It wasn’t the best item of furniture, but Jason had slept on worse. He was sure Cassandra could probably say the same.

Once it was a bed, Cassandra pushed down on it with a hand, testing the mattress. 

“I have spare sheets. They’re clean. Towels, too.” 

Jason was very particular about his clean sheets.

She looked at him.

“Thank you, Jason,” she said, and the earnestness in her voice took Jason aback. Jason put his hands in his back pockets, looking around.

“Don’t sweat it,” he said. “So… is that a yes, or?”

She gave him a small smile, then walked back over to the kitchen island to retrieve her mask. “I have to go.”

“Alright. Cool. Say hi to Barbara for me.”

She turned from her perch on the ledge, gave him a funny look, then put her mask back on and dropped out of the window. He closed his eyes, waiting for the tell-tale sound of the grapple gun. And there it was,  _ thwip! _ , and away she went. He closed his window and called it a night.

 

Two nights later, she showed up again.

“I have a door, you know,” Jason said, not turning around. He was definitely on his game tonight, both figuratively and literally. He knew someone else was in the room even though he was playing Street Fighter at full volume. Game.

“The window is more fun,” Cass said. Jason couldn’t really argue that. She walked around the sofa and sat down next to him. Her mask was already off this time, clenched in her fist. Jason looked at her out of the corner of his eye, just to see what sort of mood she was in. She seemed okay. He continued pummeling Thunder Hawk with all the right combos as Cass watched the screen with interest.

“D’you wanna go?” he said after a while, offering her the controller.

She took it from him after a mere second’s hesitation, and Jason walked her through choosing a character and an opponent. She was really damn good at it, which he wasn’t really surprised at. In fact, she got pretty bored pretty fast.

“It’s easy,” she said.

“I’d play against you, but I don’t have an extra controller,” Jason sighed. He hadn’t thought he’d need one.

“Oh. Can you get one?”

“I mean… yeah. I could.”

“I would win,” she smirked. Jason let out a surprised laugh.

“I don’t doubt it. But maybe you could teach me a thing or two.”

“Teach,” Cass murmured. “I taught Spoiler.”

“You get along?”

“I think so.” She paused, and set her controller down. “Bruce Wayne…” she began, then fell quiet.

“Is just a human being, like the rest of us,” Jason said. He’d found out through the wire that Cass had discovered the Bat’s identity sometime last week. He was almost surprised she’d taken that long. Then again, Bruce was good at secrets.

“Nightwing doubts.”

Jason knew exactly what she was talking about. “Hm,” he said. Cass looked up at him, a mix of anxiousness and hope on her face.

“You... do not.”

Jason shook his head, shrugged, then shifted his position on the sofa, pulling a leg up across his knee. “I know Bruce,” he said. “Dick- Nightwing does, too. But I know better than anyone how much he treasures that stupid rule of his. Unless it’s some freak manslaughter deal— which seems pretty unlikely — it wasn’t Bruce. I can guarantee you that much.”

Cass hugged her knees closer to her chest.

They sat in silence, the Street Fighter menu screen playing in front of them. Jason wanted to pick up the controller, to do something with his hands. Instead he just stared, not at the screen, but at the red light underneath it, the one belonging to the DVD player.

“Killing is wrong,” said Cass.

“That’s a good thing to believe,” said Jason.

“Why did you?”

So she did know about him. He looked down at his hands. Flexed his fingers. He didn’t have to answer her. It wasn’t like he owed her anything.

“The world would be a better place without certain people in it.”

The next time he looked up, Cass was gone. He hadn’t felt her leave. She should get a DNA test. She really could be Bruce’s daughter.

 

Jason soon found himself in Blüdhaven, tracking down drug dealers with Nightwing. He was so busy finding his brother annoying and trying to prove something (not that he had anything to prove) that he forgot to ask about Cass. What had he said to her? How much did she know about his past? What had she said to him?

When he got back to Gotham early the next morning, however, there she was. Not on the sofa bed, but instead curled atop Jason’s bedsheets like a cat, her mask on the pillow, her cape falling off the side of the bed.

Jason didn’t yell in surprise when he saw her, but it took almost everything in him not to. Not very Red Hood-y of him at all.

He was quiet as he moved around the apartment, and she stirred slightly when he opened up the sofa, but didn’t awaken.

His chest was warm as he lay down and he couldn’t fight off the smile he was giving the ceiling.

 

It went on like that for weeks. Every now and then, Cass would show up, always in her Batgirl gear. She always took off the mask without prompting, and sometimes she brought food.

Jason had been trying to learn how to cook for the past few months, ever since he got this place in Gotham. There were the few meals he knew how to make back when he was trying to keep his mom alive: scrambled eggs, bacon, toast. Once, he’d tried roasting a Turkey for Thanksgiving but it had been a disaster. His mother, through a drunken haze, had muttered, “How come you couldn’t even roast a Turkey?” He’d stuck to scrambled eggs and bacon after that.

Making that kind of meal now just made him sad.

He’d never had much reason to cook when he’d been living at Wayne Manor — that was Alfred’s job. And, being a teenage boy, Jason was delighted to keep it that way.

Then, when some kids leave the nest and go to college, Jason had died instead. Sometimes he’d wonder what would have become of him if he hadn’t died, but that made everything hurt too much, so he never dwelled on it for long. Instead, he tried to make up for lost time, at least in the cooking department, and since Cass started hanging around, he’d had more reason to. Cooking for one just didn’t seem as necessary, especially when you don’t like yourself much. Cooking for two was another story.

Cass was either there for the preparation of a meal, or for whatever leftovers Jason had in the fridge, and she really wasn’t hard to please.

“It’s good,” she said of the lasagna, the homemade pesto, and the smoked salmon. But, Jason found, at the end of the day what Cass enjoyed more than anything was pizza. She’d eat pizza with anything on it, except for pineapple, but Jason decided to let that one slide.

And they played a lot of Street Fighter with the extra controller Jason had bought. When they were bored of that, they moved onto Crash Bandicoot, which Jason hated, and Spyro, which Cass loved. Jason would leave her playing that while he made food, either by studiously following a recipe or saying “Fuck it” and throwing together anything that looked good. His instincts, apparently, weren’t too bad.

And then there were times when they didn’t do much at all. Jason read and Cass came and went as she pleased. She opened the fridge as if it were her own and lay on Jason’s bed as if it were Cass’ now. Which Jason supposed it was.

 

Until Bruce Wayne’s name was cleared.

He saw it on the news, stared at Bruce’s face until the image of it was stuck on the back of his eyelids.  _ Bruce Wayne returns home. Bruce Wayne innocent. _

And then he felt the news, felt it in the city of Gotham and his empty apartment. Safehouse, that is. Because the day Bruce returned to Gotham, Cassandra didn’t show. Jason knew better than to hope that it would just be the one night, but he found himself making up scenarios in his head anyway. It wasn’t Bruce’s style to have a welcome home party, but perhaps Barbara or Alfred had engineered one. Or maybe Batman needed Batgirl tonight, and Bruce Wayne hardly figured into it at all.

But he knew better.

The days without Cass quickly stretched into a week, and as Jason went around his business as usual, he hoped to wander into Batgirl during his nights as Red Hood. Soon, he was even ready to run into Nightwing, Batman himself or, god forbid, the new Robin kid. But he never seemed to be in the right place at the right time.

After the second week of this radio silence, Jason gave in and headed over to Oracle’s place. He procrastinated going inside for a while. Took a lap or two (or three) around the block before finally climbing up the adjoining building’s fire escape. And there she was, his would-be roommate, holding one of Barbara’s dastardly mugs and smiling.

Something ugly panged in his chest and he decided to leave his visit as it was; he returned to street level, pulled up his hood, put his hands in his pocket and walked home alone.

 

That night Jason slept on the sofa. He had gotten used to its dents and springs and the way it made his neck hurt. He’d change his bedsheets tomorrow, reclaim what was his. But for now he would stick to the sofa.

 

The digital clock on his DVD player read 03:43. There was someone in his living room.

“Cass,” he said in surprise, because it was Cassandra standing by the window in a tracksuit, instead of  Batgirl in her mask.

Another moment passed, and he realized that her bottom lip was trembling. Jason jerked to his feet, jumped over the sofa and, when she didn’t move away, pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his middle and it kind of freaked him out, how tightly she was holding on. He wondered when the last time she’d been hugged was. If at all.

“Hey, hey,” he said, patting her back. “It’s gonna be okay.”

They stood like that for a while, until slowly, Cassandra’s grip on him loosened, and she pushed herself away from him.

“You wanna talk about it?” Jason asked, completely aware that he was well out of his depths if he was about to talk about feelings. But Cassandra shook her head.

“I can… live here?” she asked, her eyes still red. “With you?”

“Absolutely,” he said, caught off guard. “The offer still stands.” He realized that he had never extended the offer to Cass in person, but she didn’t seem to mind. She nodded.

“I’m tired.”

“Sure,” Jason said, jumping out of the way. He felt like an awkward dad. Hopefully he was doing a better job than Bruce. He quickly crossed that thought out of his mind and added, “Bed’s all yours.”

Cassandra was already on her way there. She kicked off her shoes, more than she had ever done before, and fell into the covers. Jason assumed that was all he was going to get for the night, but after a few minutes silence, he heard a small but confident, “Good night.”

He relaxed back onto the sofa bed and let out a breath.

“Night, Cass.”

 

A few hours later, he was awoken again, this time by one of his multiple mobile phones. The one that was ringing, conveniently, was the one in his sweatpants’ pocket. He should probably invest in proper pajamas.

“Jason, are you there?”

Oracle’s voice was improperly shrill for… okay, it was nine AM in the morning. So not too early. But, still. Jason grumbled, “Your voice is exactly what I want to hear first thing in the morning, so thank you for this.”

“Is Cass there?”

Jason stretched, his back and neck fucked from the many nights on the sofa. He might have to replace it. Out of the corner of his eye, he spared a quick look at his bed. There Cassandra was, bed covers on the floor, her foot hanging off of the edge of the mattress.

“Yup.”

A sigh was heard from the other end of the line.

“She removed her tracker,” Barbara explained. “I was worried.”

“She’s fine, Barb.”

“How is she?”

“I just said she was fine.”

There was a pause. “Um… Jason?”

“Barb?”

“What do you two… what do you talk about?”

“Oh my god,” Jason grinned. “You’re  _ jealous _ .”

“What?”

“You’re totally jealous! I’m the cool older brother and you’re just her nerdy cousin!”

“You jackass,” Barbara said, but it was fond.

“Nerd,” Jason replied.

“You already called me a nerd.”

“I just woke up. Let me live.”

There was another pause. Jason could practically hear Barbara trying to come up with the right words to say.

“Go on,” Jason pushed, interest peaked. Barbara sighed.

“You seem to be good for her. I mean... hanging out with you. It seems to be good.”

Jason blinked at the ceiling, taken aback.

“Uh…” he tried, then cleared his throat. “You’re good for her too, Babs.”

“Thanks. I just… Hope she’s okay.”

“I think she is. Or she will be.” He paused. He didn’t know what possessed him to ask, “Have you seen him?”

“Yeah,” Barbara said, and if she was surprised that Jason was bringing him up, she was good at masking it. “He looks alright.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“But you were wondering.”

Jason bit his tongue instead of saying  _ No, I wasn’t _ . He really didn’t care about Bruce Wayne’s wellbeing.

“She missed you. Cass did.” When Jason said nothing, she continued. “Bruce told her to stay with me instead, and she was not happy. He threatened to take away the suit…”

“Yup. Pretty much exactly how it played out in my head,” Jason said. Barbara Gordon of all people didn't have to know about his doubts.

“Jason. Be… Be good for her.”

“I’m trying, Barb.”

Barbara let out a sigh Jason couldn’t read.

“Why don’t you call me Babs?”

“Should I?”

“Everyone else does.”

Jason chewed on the inside of his lip. “Alright. If you don’t mind, I should get going. Sleep to catch up on and all.”

“Of course,” Barbara replied. “See you around.”

“Yeah.”

And Jason hung up. He watched the ceiling for a moment, eyes running along the crack that had been there since before he moved in. When he finally moved to get up, Cassandra was no longer on his bed, but instead sat at the kitchen island. Jason really should be used to being around sneaky people, but Cass really was next level.

“You’re up,” he said, yawning dramatically. Cassandra looked at him over her shoulder.

“Who was it?”

“Oh, on the phone? Oracle.”

“She wants me... to go back.”

“Oh, no. She was just checking in. Making sure you’re alright, and stuff. She said she was worried.”

Cassandra crumpled ever so slightly, then turned back to her cereal bowl.

“You didn’t look for me,” she said. Jason swallowed and jumped to his feet.

“I did,” he said, coming around to the other side of the kitchen island, “it’s just… Batman and I… it’s complicated.”

“Complicated,” she said, and he knew she understood. Whatever had her in tears last night was almost certainly Bruce related. And if there was one thing Jason could get behind, it was keeping your Bruce trauma to yourself. “I have to go.”

“Oh,” Jason said, surprised. He wasn’t sure what he had been expecting, but it wasn’t this: Cassandra drinking the rest of the milk from the bowl and heading over to the window. He followed her, unsure of what to say. “You, uh… you coming back?”

Cass kissed his cheek with feeling, then jumped out of the window.

Jason hoped that was a yes.

 

The next day -- emphasis on the  _ day _ \-- Cassandra knocked on the front door. In the day time.

Jason wasn’t used to people knocking on his front door, especially seeing as it was an apartment building. Any visitors he would have would either come through the window or need to be buzzed up. He peered through the eyehole and saw that it was Cass, once again in civilian clothes, but she wasn’t alone. He sighed deeply before pulling the door open.

“What is it about secret safehouse you people don't understand?” he asked as Cassandra came through first, Stephanie Brown, alias Spoiler, behind her.

“Please, Jason,” Steph said, looking around the place in poorly-masked curiosity. “Everyone knows. It’s on the computer.”

Cassandra looked at Jason, as if to say,  _ See? _

Jason sighed again. He was going to have to move out.

“Well, at least you used the door,” he said, closing it behind him.

“Jesus, this thing is like a rock!” Steph said, trying to bounce on the sofa bed and failing. “You live like this?”

“Shut up,” Jason said, knee-jerk, and Cassandra gave him an amused look.

“You’ve got a PS2? Pretty cool,” Steph continued. “But jeez, this place is boring, huh? Who picked out the art?”

Jason looked to what she was pointing at, a dreary gray abstract painting in a glass frame.

“It was there when I got here. And, hey, it’s not supposed to look ‘interesting’, okay? It’s just a safehouse.”

“If Cassie here’s gonna move in, it’s gotta be more than a safehouse,” Steph said. “A potted plant would be nice...”

“I saw her batcave. Cass is just fine with minimalism.”

Steph pulled a face.

“Yeah, that place was depressing.”

“Steph,” Cass said, and Steph stuck out her tongue.

“We should all go to Ikea!” she said, clasping her hands together.

“No,” Jason said immediately, starting to realize that this was probably a dream, right?

“What’s Ikea?” Cassandra asked.

“Hell,” Jason said.

“The greatest place on Earth!” Steph said at the same time. “I bet they have nicer sheets there,” she said, scowling through the bedroom door at the bed. “And those curtains are super ugly, by the way.”

“It’s funny, I don’t remember asking MTV over to come pick on my crib.”

“That was weak, Jason. Even for you.” She paused. “Can I play Street Fighter?”

“I mean, I guess!” Jason said, throwing his hands up in the air and heading into the kitchen, at a complete loss. Cassandra grinned and ran over to set the whole thing up. And that was how Red Hood ended up cooking dinner for Batgirl and Spoiler as they took over his living room and his gaming system.

 

Jason didn’t want to believe that the car horn blaring from the street outside his apartment wasn’t meant for him, but he knew better. He poked his head out of the window and there was Dick, stepping out of a blue jeep and waving up at him with a big, white smile. Barbara sat in the passenger side, and Steph and Tim ( _ Tim _ !) were getting out of the backseat.

“Jesus Chris-” he began, but then Cassandra appeared from above him -- yes, above him -- hanging upside down, her smile bright. “Shit!”

“I can move in?” she asked as Jason blinked at her in surprise.

“Yeah, you can! What are…?”

“They help. Bring things.”

“They… they’re okay with it?”

“Yes.”

“We went to Ikea!” Steph shouted from outside. 

“Oh, boy.”

Jason moved aside so that Cass could climb in, then watched as Steph and Tim struggled with a cardboard box.

“You gonna help?” Tim called up, the  _ nerve _ .

“Nah, I think I’ll just watch.”

Dick was helping Barbara out of the car and into her chair, but he shook his head, and Jason was sure he could  _ feel _ his laugh. He pursed his lips, only distracted by Cassandra pushing the sofa bed to one side, loudly.

“Hey, hey, what’s up!”

“They won’t all fit,” she explained. And that was the first time Jason noticed that his apartment wasn’t the most spacious of places. Cassandra smiled, as if she were reading his mind, then dashed over to answer the buzzer.

Despite his talk, Jason ended up heading downstairs to help Steph and Tim out with whatever item of furniture they had purchased. Steph headed back out when Jason took over, and when Jason got back to his floor, he saw that she had bought a goddamn potted plant, about the same size as Cass.

“Cass is a bit of a mess,” she said once they were inside, settling the thing down by the window. “But I trust you, Jason. Keep this thing alive.”

“Geez, alright,” Jason said, scratching at the back of his head. Steph patted him on the cheek and he tried to hide how startled he was at the contact.

When Barbara and Dick came in, Steph, Tim and Cass were sat on the floor, trying to assemble the coffee table they had bought without reading the instructions.

Barbara carried a box of clothes, and Dick, another. Jason soon discovered that Barbara’s box was full of clothes Barbara thought Cass should wear, and Dick’s was Cassandra’s actual clothes. Tracksuits, for the most part.

“Listen, I know these aren’t her style, exactly,” Barbara said, seeming to know what he was thinking,  _ how did Batgirls  _ do _ that?  _ “But it’s always better to have these things.” She took out a pink fluffy top as a demonstration and Jason raised his eyebrows and nodded his head.

“Well, if Cass rejects it, I know I could make that work.”

“Then you do that,” she said, but smiled.

“Hey, J,” Dick said, and he was in Jason’s fridge. Of course. “I didn’t know you could cook!”

“And I didn’t know this whole thing was happening,” Jason said, entering the kitchen area and leaving Barbara to lead the coffee-table-assembling team.

“Where are the instructions?” she asked, and Dick smiled.

“You could have let a guy know,” Jason continued, bringing Dick’s attention back to him. Dick just shrugged.

“It was your idea.”

“Having Cass crash on my couch was my idea,” he said. “Not a total home makeover.”

“It’s a plant and a coffee table, don’t get testy.”

“It’s the whole gang in my  _ secret _ ,” he said, emphasizing on the secret, “hideout. Messing with my shit!”

“They just want to help out.”

“I got that. But  _ why _ ?”

“We all happen to like Cass,” Dick said, folding his arms across his chest. “You’re not the only one.”

“Alright, so you’re all helping Cass out.”

“This is  _ her _ move-in day.”

“And it’s  _ my _ new roommate day,” Jason said, but he quickly wished he hadn't. He was beginning to sound like he cared. “You know what? Never mind. Whatever.”

“Jason,” Dick said, and Jason wanted so very hard to look away from those eyes, all concerned and pitiful.

“Dick,” he said, enunciating his predecessor’s name very clearly. Dick sighed. “How come you told Cass, by the way? About… you know.”

Dick shrugged. “I just had a gut feeling.”

“Of course you did.”

“I think you guys make a good team.”

“So you’re planning on having a Batgirl-Red Hood team up.”

“No, god, I mean as people. And I was right, wasn’t I? She likes you.”

Jason shrugged. “I mean, sure.”

“And you get along nicely.” Jason rolled his eyes, but Dick continued, “I think you understand a lot of what she’s going through. And that’s good for her. And honestly, I think she’s good for you, too.”

Jason had nothing to say to that.

“You’re family,” Dick said, straightening. “And we care about-”

“Oh, please, no!” Jason said, falling away from the counter dramatically. “We do not need to do that! No, thank you!”

“And  _ we care about you _ ,” Dick finished, laughing. Jason was pretty sure he heard Tim mutter, “Speak for yourself,” but at least the kid was being honest.

“Dammit, Grayson,” Jason grumbled.

“You love me.”

“Don’t get cocky.”

“What do you guys think?” Steph asked, and the two brothers turned to look at what the rest of the gang had made. 

It was nothing too impressive: just a small wooden coffee table placed in front of the TV. But it looked like it belonged. It made the room seem more complete, somehow, and Jason already fancied putting up his feet on that thing.

“S’alright,” he said.

“That’s Jason for  _ thank you _ ,” Dick translated.

“Oh, shut up.”

“You’re lucky we  _ all _ speak Jason,” Steph told him, standing up and putting her hands on her hips. “Now, who wants to get pummeled in virtual reality while Jason makes the meanest fajitas any of you have ever tasted?”

Barbara looked to Jason with raised eyebrows, and, actually, Jason  _ could _ die again. He wouldn’t mind.

“Hey, Steph!” he called. “What’s  _ Jason _ for ‘fuck you’?”

Steph stuck her tongue out at him, and Cassandra handed a bewildered Barb a controller.

“Need help?” Dick asked, rolling up his sleeves. Maybe Jason did die (a second time). Maybe this  _ was _ hell.

 

That night, the apartment was empty again. Tim, Steph, Dick and Barbara had left a little after lunch, and come nightfall, Cassandra had emerged from Jason’s old bedroom wearing her Batgirl garb, patted him on the head and jumped out of the window. He smiled.

Later on, he was doing the dishes in the kitchen, the dishes from dinner, not from the lunch he had made for the rest of them. (Those had been taken care of by Dick and Barbara as Jason had  _ actually _ beaten Tim at what was supposed to be Tim’s forté.)

When he feels a shadow in the room with him, he knows it’s not Cass this time.

“Oh, so you  _ do _ know where I live!” he said to the sink, rinsing the soap off of his plate. “She’s not here, by the way.” He put the plate to one side and turned around. “She’s out batting.”

Batman stood there in silence, and Jason did his best to pretend that Bruce’s (uninvited) presence in his safehouse didn’t make him nauseous. He refused to still be so affected by him.

“Are you just gonna stand there, or…?”

“I told her she shouldn’t come here.”

“Cool,” Jason replied. He didn’t want to hear it. Either Bruce took her stuff, or he left Jason alone. He was about to say this when:

“You’re being a brother to her.”

Jason blinked. “Is that an issue?”

“Jason…” he began, but then said nothing. Instead, he let out a breath. “Don’t make me regret this.”

“Aw. You always had a way with words, Bruce.”

Instead of dignifying Jason with a response, Bruce stepped back towards the window and left. Jason didn’t try to stop him.

“Fuck you, too,” he muttered to his empty apartment, but it was without feeling, weak. He leaned back against the counter and took a shaky breath.

By the time sunrise came around, and Batgirl crawled in through the window, Jason was still awake. He was watching  _ Will and Grace  _ reruns, the studio audience’s laughter buzzing in his ears. Cass pulled off the mask before sitting down beside him in silence, studying the characters on-screen.

“Look at those massive jugs,” Jack said on screen.

“Look at those massive jugs,” Cass said quietly beside Jason. Jason looked at her in alarm.

“Hey, don’t learn English through sitcoms. Please. No one talks like that, I promise.”

“He talks like that,” she said, pointing to the TV.

“Yeah, but… nevermind.” If Cass wanted to talk like a character from a sitcom then so be it. He folded his arms across his chest and for a moment, neither of them said anything. Then, Cass leant over for the remote and turned off the TV.

“You’re not okay,” Cass said. It wasn’t a question. Jason just shrugged, and suddenly felt like a child again. “Do you want… to talk?”

Jason shrugged again.

“I… sorry. I don’t… I don’t do the talking thing.”

Cassandra nodded.

“It’s just that-” Jason started.

Cass waited.

“You know, my dad- my real dad. He was a crook. Wasn’t good for anything. Got himself thrown in jail… He wasn’t around when my mom died.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No- I mean. Thanks. I just- You know... with him. I thought that was how dads should be. You know? And he let me down, too. I just felt stupid. Feel. Feel stupid… Sorry.” Because of fucking course his eyes were burning. He tried to wipe the corner of his eye with his sleeve without Cass noticing, but then he remembered that she was a body-reading guru or whatever. He puffed out his cheeks and squeezed his eyes shut, stuck in the moment. Not sure how to leave it.

“Don’t be sorry,” Cassandra said. “Did you know… my father. Is Cain.”

Jason blinked. “No fucking shit. Well, fuck me. Here I am, fucking crying- what’s so funny?” he asked when Cassandra started to laugh.

“That’s what Steph said,” Cass said, hiding her smile behind her hand.

“Of course,” Jason nodded, throwing his hands up. A tear was rolling down his face but he was laughing, too. “Steph knows what’s up. You like Steph, huh?”

Cassandra raised her eyebrow.

“We were talking about you.”

“And then  _ you _ dropped the Cain bomb on me!” Jason said, nudging her thigh with his socked foot. “We’re all such messes, huh? Bruce’s lot. Don’t tell him I included myself in that moniker.”

Cassandra  budged up and wrapped her arms around his middle, rested her head on his chest.

“We are family,” she said.

“Hey,” Jason said, patting her hair. “We are. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Then… “I’m sorry for stealing your bed.”

 

The next day, Jason and Cass received a new sofa bed. The guys who delivered it tossed the old one out as part of the service. When Jason asked who was behind this, he already knew. By the look on Cass’ face, she did, too.

“Bruce’s lot,” she said once the guys had gone.

“Never again,” Jason said, pointing a stern finger.

He flopped down onto the new sofa and closed his eyes. He had forgotten what comfort felt like. He felt Cass sit down beside him. And maybe, if only for a little while, things would be alright.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> hey i hoped u all liked it! i was thinking of making this a series of sorts, maybe writing jason and cass' first meeting in this au, and maybe them being each other's wing-persons and hijinks ;)  
> lemme kno what u think! thanks for reading!


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